Best ways to Extract apk From Android (No Root required)

There are many ways to extracttheapk file
from Android Device. Some of them are as simple as copy-pasting a URL, while
others require you to root your smartphones. Now, why take a difficult route
when there are simpler ones. Right?

So here, you will find 6 simple
ways to extract apk files from your Android smartphone and tablet.

But before we start, lets us first
understand the basis.

What
is a .apk file?

Android application package file (or .apk in short) is a format we use to distribute software for
android. In simpler words, apk is the program installer for android, just
like a .exe is the program installer for Windows and .dmg is for Mac.

However, when you install any app
from Play Store, you don’t see this apk file, because
this type of installation is done internally. But, if you install apps outside
Google play, you’ll need the apk to do that.

How
to extract the apk file?

The logic is simple — take backup of
the apps. Now, by backup, I don’t mean to take a full backup (which includes
the app data also) rather a regular backup, which will only include the apk
file.

What
is the use of .apk?

You can use it for several things,
like:

1. Transfer apps to other Android
that don’t have the internet connectivity

2. Take a backup of your favourite
apps and store it on your computer

3. Saving phone memory, by taking backupof less use application. So whenever
you want to use the app you can install them for the apk and later uninstall
them once you are done.

4. Installing apps that are not
available on Google play, for instance, a most Android tablet can run WhatsApp
but still you can download them from play store. Therefore, you have to install
such apps, directly using an apk file.

This is the most popular way of
taking backups. And the best thing about this Android Assistance app is – it weighs
just 1 MB.

So, here is how it
works. Install Android Assistancefrom Google play and open it. Next, go to Tools > Backup and Restore > tap on the checkbox next to the apps whose .apk
you want to extract > and then tap on Backup option
at the bottom.

And that’s it, it’ll start the backup
process, and stored all the apks in the SD card under Android Assistance App Backup folder. Use any file
manager to navigate to this path.

2.
Using File Explorer

ES file explorer is a popular
file manager app for android and chances are you already have it on your
device.

To extract .apk files using ES File Explorer, install
it from the Google Play (if haven’t already) and then open the application >
navigate to the tool menu > App manager > select the apps > Backup.

ES file explorer will start
extracting the .apk file from the selected apps and save them to
the backup folder to your SD card.

Update: We no longer recommend using ES file
Explorer, since it now shows intrusive. Instead, we suggest you useSolid Browser. And to extract apk file from Solid Explorer open
the app, swipe the screen to the right to bring up the additional options, and
tap on Application > select between user or system apps, next long press the app whose apk
you want to extract, then press the 3 vertical dots on the top and select Share > Save to >
and select a folder on your phone’s SD card.

This is the best
method if you want to store the apk to your computer. Since it’s
a browser-based service, it works for all platform i.e. Windows, MacOS, Linux
or anything as long as you have a browser in it.

Airdroid is a free app that lets you
manage your android device using your computer’s browser. But you can also use
it to take backup of your installed apps.

Start by installing airdroidfrom Google play. Then open the app and follow the
simple instruction to connect your android with your Computer’s browser.
Basically, you’ll see an IP address when you open the app. Type that IP address
in the computer’s Omnibox (both the computer and Android should be on same WiFi
network.)

Once done, click on the Apps icon > Select the apps whose apk you want to save on your
computer > Download. And Airdroid will extract
the apk file of all the selected apps and save them in a single zip file.

And that’s it, Airdroid will extract
the apk file of all the selected apps and save them in a single zip file.

4.
Extracting apk directly from Google play

Unlike other methods which pull out
apk from your smartphones, this method lets you extract the apk
directly from play store.

Go to this online tooland simply copy paste the Google play URL of the
app. And that’s it, the tool will fetch the apk file and give you the download
link.

Now, since it’s fetching apk directly
from Play Store, you don’t have to worry about infected files. However,
you may face some problem on the website due to annoying pop-up ads. But
overall, I am using this online tools for months and it always works
flawlessly. Check out the following video tutorial.

This is similar file manager like
Airdroid but the only difference is in the mode of connectivity, it
offers USB connectivity instead of WiFi. The only problem that I found is that
it comes with only 15 days free trial.

Well, guess what, if you need an apk,
you don’t really have to extract it from the app. Chances are you can find that
apk online, just do a simple google search with the app name followed by the
apk. This method will save you some time if you need just one apk.

There are many online sources that
bundles apk of popular apps with malware. So, make sure you download that apk
from the legit sources only. A good place to look will be sites like APKmirror. The good thing about these online repositories
is, you can find any version of the app you want, even if is 2-year-old.

Winding Up

These were some of the best ways to
extract apk from Android phone. If you want to extract apk to your Android
smartphone or tablet using the native File explorer method, or if you want to
transfer the apk to computer use Airdroid. Which is your favourite method to
extract apk from Android phone? Share in the comments below.